Cable Car Confessions: The Conductor's Daughter

Ding ding all aboard. "Next stop Powell Street Chinatown. Tickets please show me your tickets please." This cable car confession happened three days before Christmas. I was taking the cable car home after a very long day at work and sat quiet trying to unwind from my day. The weather had turned cold for San Francisco so I sat inside to stay as warm as possible. I stared out of the window and fell deep into my thoughts, thinking about what I needed to do to prepare for work and for the upcoming holidays. I stared out onto the streets, there were life sized ornaments in front of the office buildings and each building seemed to be wrapped in a holiday bow with white lights, red ribbons and Christmas trees.

My attention was brought back to what was happening inside of the cable car. I noticed that it wasn't a full car yet and seemed occupied by mostly locals traveling home. There were two cable car drivers on the car. One man who was driving the front of the cable car had white hair, was short and very tiny 'Slim'. There was a second cable car conductor and he was in charge of driving the back of the car and collecting tickets. 'Bob' was tall and weighed maybe 250 pounds. All the riders had to squeeze in to make room as Bob walked by us. He was very stern while collecting tickets, maybe even a little forgetful - I noticed that he asked for people to show their tickets again after they had just shown them to him.

I noticed a lady dressed in professional work clothes, got onto the cable car at the next stop. She was a petite Asian woman who looked to be in her twenties. (At this point, I was completely people watching and eavesdropping. Whatever you want to call it :) I wondered how Bob was going to treat this woman. To my surprise she was greeted by a huge and warm smile from Slim. Slim called to Bob and asked him if he knew who she was? Immediately Bob's demeanor changed when he saw the woman. He went to her and instead of asking her for her ticket he hugged her.

Slim said to Bob, "She is a conductor's daughter."
Slim then asked the woman, "How are you? How is your Dad doing? How old are you now sweetie? You can't be more then twenty?"
The woman replied, "I am well. My Dad is feeling better and believe it or not I am thirty-three now."
"Wow!" Bob the cable car driver said. "Are you still living off of the Powell Street line?"
The woman smiled, "Yes we are. Dad could never move us away from the cable car line even after he had to retire because of his illness. The cable car is apart of him."
Slim then said to Bob, "I remember when she was maybe ten and use to ride the cable cars with her father all day." Then he turned to the woman and asked." Your father was a conductor for how long?"
She replied "Almost twenty-five years. It's still hard for him not be able on the line!"

It was at that moment that I realized that they were treating this woman with as much respect and care that we would for a police officer or preacher's daughter. Even Bob melted and became warm and friendly to her. Once cable car conductors get through the initiation process of becoming drivers and earn their stripes they stay driving the cable car for years and years. The salary is really good, they get great pensions and become a part of a San Francisco family.

Maybe I went into the wrong profession and should have become a cable car driver! Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be recognized because of your relation to a family member and something that they did? My father is a marketing guy. What did your father do?